Last week, after George’s Greek Cafe was evicted from its Downtown location, we asked for your memories of its founder, George Loizides.
People wrote in recalling the “warm and welcoming man” who was a fixture at the Pine Avenue restaurant before he died at age 83, and the spot was sold to a third-party operator.
Brian R. said he worked upstairs from George’s from 2004-08 and fondly recalls the smell of lamb “and other yummy stuff being prepared for lunch.”
“If I had a moment to wander downstairs to say hello, George would always greet me with his famous warm hug,” Brian wrote.
George would teach him about the latest soccer stars or the two would “compare Greek dishes with Sephardic dishes my in-laws made,” Brian wrote. “Best coffee break in downtown!”
Karen R. also wrote in about George’s famous hugs.
“He would always ask how I was and say that he loved my beautiful smile. I would tell him it was because of him and how happy it made me to see him almost every day,” Karen wrote.
“He always had a kind word for anyone who walked by. I miss him every day I walk down Pine Ave.”
If you’re still looking for that homey feeling now gone from Pine, you’re in luck because Nicky Loizides continues to run the George’s Greek Cafe on Second Street, where she’s carrying on her father’s legacy in Belmont Shore.
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This folklórico dancer was part of the second annual mariachi festival at Veterans Park.
Here’s one of the Extra Frames we didn’t publish in April of a crew member resting between races during the Ficker Cup in Long Beach on April 25. Check out more of our unpublished photos here.
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